Móðirin er hér.

The mother is here.

Breakdown of Móðirin er hér.

• vera: to be
• hér: here
• móðirin: the mother

Questions & Answers about Móðirin er hér.

What does the ending -in on móðirin mean?

The ending -in is the definite article (like the in English) attached to the noun.

• móðir = mother
• móðirin = the mother

In Icelandic, the definite article is normally added as a suffix to the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

What is the base (dictionary) form of móðirin?

The base form is móðir.

Icelandic dictionaries list nouns in nominative singular indefinite, so you’d look up móðir, not móðirin.

Why is móðirin in this form here? What case is it?

In Móðirin er hér, móðirin is the subject of the sentence, so it’s in nominative case (the “dictionary form” for the subject).

• Case: nominative singular
• Gender: feminine
• Number: singular
• Definiteness: definite (because of -in)

So: móðirin = the mother as the subject.

Can I say Móðir er hér instead of Móðirin er hér?

You can, but it doesn’t mean quite the same thing.

• Móðirin er hér = The mother is here (a specific, known mother)
• Móðir er hér = literally Mother is here / a mother is here, but without the article it sounds incomplete or unusual unless you’re speaking in a very generic or stylistic way.

In normal everyday speech, if you mean the mother (a particular person), you should say Móðirin er hér.

If you mean Mom is here, people more often say:

• Mamma er hér. = Mom is here.

How do I say The mother is there instead of here?

You change hér (here) to a word for there:

• Móðirin er þar. = The mother is there. (fairly neutral)
• Móðirin er þarna. = The mother is there (over there, at that place).

Roughly:

• hér = here (where I am)
• þarna = there (a bit away, more specific, often visible)
• þar = there (more general / less immediate)

Is er just the Icelandic version of English is?

Yes. Er is the third person singular present tense of the verb vera (to be), and it corresponds to English is here.

Present tense of vera:

• ég er – I am
• þú ert – you are (singular)
• hann/hún/það er – he/she/it is
• við erum – we are
• þið eruð – you are (plural)
• þeir/þær/þau eru – they are

So Móðirin er hér literally maps to The mother is here.

Can I also say Hér er móðirin? What’s the difference?

Yes, Hér er móðirin is also correct.

• Móðirin er hér. – neutral word order, stating a fact: The mother is here (as opposed to somewhere else).
• Hér er móðirin. – emphasizes here, like Here is the mother (introducing or pointing her out).

Icelandic is a verb-second language, so if you move hér to the front, the verb er stays in second position: Hér er móðirin.

How do you pronounce Móðirin er hér?

Approximate pronunciation for an English speaker:

• Móðirin ≈ MOE-thi-rin

  • ó: like the vowel in go, but a bit tenser and longer
  • ð: like the th in this (voiced)
  • stress on the first syllable: MÓE-thi-rin

• er ≈ ehr, like air but shorter, with a rolled or tapped r

• hér ≈ hyair but short and tight

  • h before this front vowel is a hissy sound (similar to German ich)
  • é is a long front vowel; you can think of it as a long yeh sound compressed into one vowel
  • r is rolled or tapped

Natural rhythm: MÓE-thi-rin ehr HYER (with main stress on MÓE and secondary stress on HÉR).

What does the accent on ó and é mean? Does it just mark stress?

In Icelandic the accents do not mark stress; they mark vowel quality and length.

• Stress in Icelandic almost always falls on the first syllable of the word, with or without an accent.
• The accents (á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, æ, ö) represent different vowels, not just “stressed versions” of a plain vowel.

In Móðirin er hér:

• ó in móðirin is a long, specific vowel sound distinct from plain o.
• é in hér is also a specific long front vowel, distinct from e.

So you must learn ó and é as separate vowel letters with their own pronunciations.

What is that funny ð letter in móðirin? Is it like English th?

The letter ð (called eð) is pronounced like the th in English this, that, mother: a voiced dental fricative.

• Put your tongue lightly against your upper teeth and let air and voice flow: ð.
• It is not like the th in thing; that sound is closer to Icelandic þ.

So in móðirin, the ð matches the th sound you already say in mother.

Is móðir always feminine? How do you say my mother?

Yes, móðir is a feminine noun.

To say my mother, you usually say:

• móðir mín – my mother (more formal / neutral)
• mamma mín – my mom (colloquial, more common in everyday speech)

The possessive mín agrees with a feminine singular noun.

How does móðir change in different cases and numbers?

Móðir is an irregular feminine noun. Here is its main declension:

Singular (indefinite):

• Nominative: móðir – (a) mother
• Accusative: móður
• Dative: móður
• Genitive: móður

Singular (definite):

• Nominative: móðirin – the mother
• Accusative: móðurina – the mother
• Dative: móðurinni – to/for the mother
• Genitive: móðurinnar – of the mother

Plural (indefinite):

• Nominative: mæður – mothers
• Accusative: mæður
• Dative: mæðrum
• Genitive: mæðra

Plural (definite):

• Nominative: mæðurnar – the mothers
• Accusative: mæðurnar
• Dative: mæðrunum
• Genitive: mæðranna

In Móðirin er hér, you’re using the nominative singular definite form.

What’s the difference between hér, hérna, and þarna? They all seem like “here/there.”

Very roughly:

• hér = here (near the speaker; common in written and careful speech)
• hérna = here (also near the speaker; very common in spoken language, slightly more colloquial)
• þarna = there (over there) (a specific there, often visible or in the shared situation)

Examples:

• Móðirin er hér. – The mother is here.
• Móðirin er hérna. – The mother is right here. (very natural in speech)
• Móðirin er þarna. – The mother is there (over there).

All are perfectly normal; hérna and þarna just feel a bit more conversational.

Why is Móðirin capitalized? Are Icelandic nouns always capitalized like in German?

No. Icelandic nouns are not capitalized by default.

In Móðirin er hér, Móðirin is capitalized only because it is the first word in the sentence, just like in English.

If it appeared in the middle of a sentence, it would be written móðirin.